


Just say "yes"

by ptato



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, mentions of wraith's time in the IMC facility
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:07:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23576650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ptato/pseuds/ptato
Summary: “Well, how about I help you figure it out?”Wraith blinks. Once. Twice. “What?”“Let me help you figure out your abilities!” She suggests with the most excitable look Wraith has ever seen on a person.
Relationships: Wattson | Natalie Paquette/Wraith | Renee Blasey
Comments: 5
Kudos: 81





	Just say "yes"

**Author's Note:**

> Big shout out to my friend leon (@h3n5h1 in twitter) for beta reading REAL HARD for this fic! I wuv you!!!

Blonde, blue eyes, excitable and bright as all hell.

This is Wraith’s first impression to one Natalie “Wattson” Paquette. The first question that comes to mind is if she even belongs here. She seems too… soft for the games. Her demeanor is kind and sweet, even her outfit screams “Hi, I’m friendly!” with its bright, happy orange and azure blue accent. She can’t really imagine Wattson on the field, not really, but then again she doesn't want to judge too soon. She does know people like Ajay and Elliott after all. Ajay - upbeat and cheery, has a layer underneath her so brutal and manic for an execution in the ring, she did **not** want to be on the receiving end of those shock sticks. Elliott, on the other hand, surely a bumbling idiot, can hold off on his own, feigning his swift and clever camouflage tactic as some easy party trick (he doesn’t know that's what Wraith thinks, but he’s better off without an ego boost). She can’t really say what’s with her till she sees her in action in the ring herself. It’s better not to underestimate a future opponent.

As it goes with newcomers, the woman in question soon settles in her assigned room in the dormitories. Wraith’s room is just across the hallway, so by chance she happens to get a glimpse of the inside of the defender’s room as she is on her way to the firing range. 

Wraith is a notorious observer. She picks up little details of whatever she can see and analyzes what’s around her at a quick pace. Exit, entrance, possible escape routes. She can’t help it, really. The life she led, or better yet how she was forced to lead it, made her that way. A habit grown from paranoia and fear even after escaping isolation within the confines of cold, white walls. 

Wattson’s room is in... disarray. To say it’s just messy would be generous, but Wraith supposes that it’s to be expected, she is only moving in now and all that. The floor of her room is so cluttered with all kinds of boxes filled with either metal scraps, paper, or tools, that there’s hardly even a floor to be seen at all. Wraith’s about to move on, but that plan fails as she sees her. She’s carrying more boxes into her room and Wraith can’t help but be a little impressed with the amount of large stacks she’s holding. Maybe she’s got a bit of muscle to her.

_She can see you._

A cool, familiar voice rings out in Wraith's head, breaking her train of thought. Her attention snaps back at Wattson’s face; she’s smiling at her in greeting. It sends some sort of warmth up her face, making her stutter in her tracks. She hates the thought that she’s been caught red handed, but Wattson gives her a little wave, along with her award winning smile. Wraith waves, even if a bit tentatively, back at her. The blonde continues sorting through her clutter as if she didn’t just catch Wraith staring at her. Wraith, on the other hand, a little embarrassed but still determined to practice her aim, goes about to the firing range.

She doesn’t see her for a while after that. Wraith’s not avoiding her, not really. She tends to stray away from people in general, taking small doses of socializing with fellow legends whenever she can. It’s not that she doesn’t like any of the legends. On the contrary, she’s come to appreciate their company and can even admit that they’re somewhat friends, however, she gets overwhelmed a little too easily at times. There’s only so much she can take of Octavio’s inane ramblings about his next big stunt, or Elliott’s nonsensical attempts at sounding like he’s top shelf shit till she goes mad (she definitely prefers their noise over the voices in her head, but, by god, she’d rather have none in general). Wraith even frequents the firing range with Bangalore whenever she can. Their banter is always a smooth back and forth, but that’s only a bonus to her being an amazing companion to practice with (she even gives her advice when it comes to using iron sights).

One way or another, she seemingly just ends up interacting with the others, especially in the lobby. Though now that she’s thinking about it, there haven't been any signs of Wattson in the few weeks she’s been staying here. Wraith’s seen her briefly in the canteen, quickly whisking away a tray of food she can only assume she takes into her room, and even then, the few times she’s seen her chatting up everyone else, she just quickly excuses herself afterwards. The skirmisher never really finds out why she’s been so scarce around the halls. She doesn’t even see her for the next three days. Not until later that night, though.

It’s darker and quiet this night. Deafeningly quiet. So quiet Wraith can hear the cacophony of voices in her head, and she’s never been this hyper aware of them before. 

“Shut. Up.” She hisses through her teeth as she clutches her pillow onto the side of her head in a poor attempt to muffle the voices that are undeniably there to stay.

Wraith lets out a sigh, body loosening in defeat. It doesn’t sound like they’re gonna shut up anytime soon. It’s one of those nights, the especially shitty nights when she’s restless and too tired to be able to block the voices out so she can get even just a little sleep. She’s come to appreciate the voices, sure, but only during life threatening ordeals, not when she's trying to get a good night's rest.

“Fuck it,” a stroll around the halls can't hurt. It’s definitely better than just laying there, listening to her own voice. 

Wraith begrudgingly stands up and grabs her scarf on the way out. It’s chilly in the halls tonight, but honestly, she wouldn’t have left her scarf behind even if it wasn't so . She hates to admit it, but it’s a security blanket of sorts at this point. It’s filled with holes and its edges are singed. Even more wear and tear than it originally had when she swiped it off a pole as she finally escaped that hell hole. She hates remembering that place…

Bright, sterile lights, the feeling of belts tightly fastened onto her arms accompanied by the burning coldness of the operating table. Shadows are looming over her again, and the only light she can see now is the shiny end of a needle. She tries to squirm out of her restraints, even phase out of it, but she doesn’t know how to yet and-

She shakes her head to snap herself out of it. Wraith clutches onto her scarf, feeling its coarse texture to ground her to the present. The point of taking a stroll was to clear her thoughts from noise, not fill it with any more sour memories. Maybe this was a bad idea. The more she wanders in the halls, so does her mind to the more and more unpleasant memories.

She is about to head back to her dorm when she hears a loud clang from the communal kitchen. Huh. She didn’t even realize she got that far into the halls already. She puts the thought aside and waits for a warning that never comes.

"Eugh, now you all decide to collectively shut up," Wraith grumbles internally.

She assumes it’s safe, so she takes a peek inside. 

She was half expecting it to be Octavio, known for sneaking in (if it can even be called sneaking) for midnight snacks for his all night gaming streams. Instead, she saw Wattson picking up the pots she accidentally dropped.

Wraith isn’t all too surprised to see Wattson. She is her second guess after all. Maybe she was even hoping it was her, but she doesn’t acknowledge this.

“Up for a midnight snack?”

She breaks the silence which visibly makes Wattson jump from the sudden intrusion. Wraith feels the corner of her mouth move up at this sight. She reminds her of a startled cat, having her shoulders hunched up like that. Again, she quickly bats the thought away.

“Ah, Wraith! You scared me quite a bit, ” she exclaims, one hand to her chest as if she almost had a heart attack. The games aren’t for the faint of heart, and so Wraith's really doubting if she should be here, more out of concern than anything.

“I’m just getting some food, to bring back to my room! Care to join me? I mean, to eat. With me. Here. In the kitchen...” She stumbles a bit at the end.

This catches Wraith off guard. She doesn’t know what force compels her to say yes, but the next thing she knows, she is sitting beside Wattson as both eat leftover pasta they found in the fridge.

Wraith’s not exactly sure what to say. Well, they’re both currently eating but she feels that she’s bit off more than she can chew in this situation. 

She’s not the greatest conversationalist out there. Actually, she’s been told that she comes off as “murder-y” (Elliott’s words, not hers...) but Wattson seems comfortable enough. She’s pretty concentrated on her own plate, swinging her legs back and forth.

She’s still thinking of what to say… This is harder than she thought. "So, what have you been doing cooped up in your room?" No, that wouldn’t do. It’s odd to notice how she spends more time in her room than out of it. She might think she’s some kind of weirdo who keeps watching her (she doesn’t, but she’s already caught her that one time before).

Why does she even care if she’s making conversation with her in the first place? It’s not like they’re close or anything, she doesn't even have an active desire to want to be acquaintances, much less friends. If anything, she knows so little about the woman she might just be a tiny bit curious about knowing what her deal is. Always cooped up in her room, has all those miscellaneous junk around, and for some odd reason, just happens to get swept into a battle royale despite just being an electrical engineer. No field or firearm experience (from what she’s heard from Bangalore), why was she even allowed to join the games?

Wraith is so caught in her thoughts, she doesn't realize Wattson is already talking.

“Sorry, could you repeat that?”

“I asked, how do your portals work? I've always watched you a lot in the games, but I just can’t wrap my head around it!”

So much for trying to figure out her thing.

“Uh, I just punch a hole through the fabric of space, really…”

“Oui, but how do you do it?”

She never really gave it much thought now that she brings it up. All she knows is that she can manipulate the fabric of space and reality. Of course, there are limitations, but it all comes down to her bracer when it has something to do with actually making a portal. She’s been so busy and frantic for answers about her past in the arena, she never really digs into the closest hint she has about it: the abilities and tech she got from Alternate Wraith.

What of it, though? She wouldn’t even know where to begin. All she knows is that the Apex arena was built on the lab she came from. The lab where she’s hoping to find answers about her past. It’s not even her lab, it was Alternate Wraith’s. She herself didn’t even leave much of a hint in the first place, except for the advice that she should embrace The Voices and— and Wattson is still waiting for an answer.

“I’m not quite sure myself, but it feels more like an acquired ability than it is a gadget I use.”

Wattson tilts her head. “Acquired?”

”Kind of. That’s all I can say, really,” Wraith says in a dismissive tone. She’s not too keen on talking about her days in that lab they called an asylum.

Wattson hums a bit, looking like she’ll pop more questions that even Wraith herself doesn't want to answer, much less know the answers to.

“Well, how about I help you figure it out?”

Wraith blinks. Once. Twice. “What?”

“Let me help you figure out your abilities!” She suggests with the most excitable look Wraith has ever seen on a person. 

Wattson’s smile suddenly falters to a sheepish grin. “I mean, that is only if you would want me to. Sorry, I got a little excited,” she waves her hands as if she is physically trying to swat her bubbling excitement away. “It is alright if you do not want me to, and I know I am better known for being an electrical engineer, but I study quantum theory, among other things! I really feel like I can help you out.”

Well, this took an unexpected turn for the... not exactly worse . Maybe this is what Wraith needs, someone that actually has a lick of an idea with the concept of her abilities. But then again, she just met Wattson. It’s not just a matter of how much she can benefit from what she knows. It’s also a matter of trust.

Talking about her void abilities was one thing, but there will be a point where she’ll have to reveal how she got it in the first place, and that’s not really a conversation she’s ready to have with anyone in general. Maybe it’s best to just decli—

_Say yes._

A voice chimes in. Oh great, now they talk. It’s not like she isn't already having a full on debate with herself, now the disembodied voices of Alternate Wraiths start to pitch in, too. Just fantastic.

Wraith looks over Wattson again, the woman in question still eagerly awaiting for an answer, so much so she still hasn’t touched her meal. She’s clearly restless, seeing as how her leg keeps bouncing up and down. Her eyes shine in anticipation. It's a little disconcerting. She’s never had someone's full attention before. Not like this, anyways. She’s much too used to having crosshairs aimed at her instead of an innocent stare. Wraith isn’t sure if the feeling of butterflies in her stomach is of the uneasy and nervous kind or the embarrassed one because of how long she’s taking to answer such a simple yes or no question.

_Say yes already._

_Do it._

_She can help._

"God damn it," Wraith thinks to herself.

“Sure,” she finally gives in. “You can help me figure my abilities out.”

Wattson’s expression is what Wraith expects it to be. Giddy and flooding with enthusiasm. She can just tell how much she genuinely wants to uncover the mechanics of how the whole voidwalking thing works. 

“You won’t regret this, Wraith!”

Wraith can't help but feel a little excited herself. She’s still not too keen on completely laying it all out there but it's a start. She’s not quite sure what she’s gotten herself into, but that’s another worry for another time.

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically just gonna be a slowburn haha someone had to do it. Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed! Leave a comment with any opinions and stuff :')


End file.
